Apparatus for producing an extensible sliver or roving



March 1941- w. ZETZSCHE ETAL 2,234,217

APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING'AN EXTENSIBLE SLIVER OR ROVING Filed Dec. 7, 1938 Fig.1

L W01. li'her Zelzsche Franz schiele Richard HartmU lnvenfor Y ,L Y "X 4 T B Their Afforneysw Patented Mar. 11, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE APPARATUS FOR PRODUCING AN EX- TENSIBLE SLIVER OR ROVING Application December 7, 1938, Serial No. 244,428

2 Claims.

This invention relates to an apparatus for converting slivers of continuous rayon filaments into an extensible sliver or roving bya cutting operation while maintaining the parallel position of 'the filaments. Y

It has been proposed inthe U. S. patent application Serial No. 244,426, filed December 7, 1938, to cut a sleeveor tube-like assembly of rayon filaments on a cylindrical body serving as a support, by means of a moving circular knife, whereby a helical out is obtained. The cut slivers are then to be folded together or fiattened without extension of the tube-like assemla bly whereafter they are drawn on a frame either alone or together with other such slivers or rovings, whereby a uniform distribution of the rayon staple fibers is produced in the resultant roving.

The present invention has for an object to provide an apparatus which will cut all the individual filaments of a sliver composed of rayon fibers without disturbing or altering the parallel position of the cut filaments.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an apparatus for producing a ready for spinning yarn, merely by cutting a bundle of endless filaments, without carding and combing. I

Still further objects of the invention reside in certain details of construction as will become more apparent from the following detailed description.

ing in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatical view of an elevation of the apparatus of the invention, while Figure 2 shows the same apparatus in cross 0 section along the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

,According to the. present invention the endless filaments arranged in the form of a sleeve or tube which passes over a cylindrical core serving as the cutting support are cut in a helical line. The surface of the cylinder rotates in contact with one or more cutting knives. The filaments drawn over the length of the rotating cylinder are engaged shortly before the cut is made by drawing rollers or a device of similar effect and are drawn off during the cutting, which prevents the spreading apart of the ends of the cut filaments.

Referring now to Figure l, the rotary frame which carries any desired number of reels of continuous artificial filaments is mounted on staple fiber sliver of uniform staple distribution I 5 Reference is made to the accompanying draw Germany December 14, 1937 shaft W. The reels may be arranged on vertical axes as shown in the drawing and can therefore be unwound overhead. For unwinding the slivers of continuous filaments there is mounted on the same shaft a rotary feeding device L, which guides the slivers on to the cylinder Z also mounted on the same shaft W and serving as the cutting support, so as to produce a sleeveor tube-like assembly of filaments around the surface of the cylinder.

' For holding this sleeve of artificial filaments on the cylinder Z there is provided a ring R. Beneath this guiding ring there is arranged drawing rolls V which have the function of holding the ends of the thread of the fibers as they leave the cylinder Z, while a knife M cuts through the travelling threads; the drawing rolls V then lead the drawn sliver or roving away. Above-the knife M there is preferably arranged a pressing roller D. At that part of the periphcry of the cylinder. Z where the knife M operates there may be a peripheral groove N to serve as a counterface for the operation of the knife. Instead of the single knife there may be several around the cylinder Z, each provided with its own draw-off rollers. The cut sliversdelivered by the draw-01f devices may be drawn further to form a roving of a desired Weight per meter or the several slivers may be united to form a single sliver and be drawn, in which case it is possible both with a single sliver or acomposite sliver to join a further working operation such as a rubbing or twisting of the sliver. The parts marked S, L, Z and W are rotated in a unit 3f)v in any desired manner, for example by shaft A.

By adjusting the speed of rotation to the speed of travel of the filamentous structure the staple length of the cut fibers may be adjusted.

In Figure 2, which is a cross section on line 22 of Figure 1, Z is the rotary cylinder, W is the central shaft, and L are the feeding rollers. These rollers L rotate together with cylinder Z. They are driven by a shaft T which on its part engages a toothed wheel (not shown) which surrounds the entire apparatus.

We claim:

1. Apparatus for producing an extensible sliver or roving consisting of rayon staple fibers, comprising in combination a rotary support for at least one reel of continuous rayon filaments, means for withdrawing a sliver from said reel, a cylindrical body rotatable around a vertical axis, means for forming a sleeveor tube-like assembly of filaments over said cylindrical body, means ll 

